Wednesday, June 18, 2014

5 Tips for Finishing Personal Progress

Post written by Alissa Merrill,who recently received her Young Women's medallion at age 14.

I look up to this girl a lot. She has so much faith and a rock solid testimony.

5 tips for finishing Personal Progress:1.) Don't get discouraged - If you look at the whole book, it does seem like a lot of work. If you do it in sections, it is a lot easier. It may not be that exciting when you first start working on it, but trust me it really does become addicting and it is so exciting to finish new things. If you stick with it, you will never ever regret it. 2.) Find stuff you're already doing that can be incorporated in Personal Progress - I finished lots of my projects and experiences because I couldn't believe how much I already do! You just have to keep track of it and you're good to go! If you're in sports or take part in a performance of some sort, you can use those hours of practicing for a project!3.) Have fun with it - Don't make the projects a drag! Find something that interests you and something you will enjoy doing for 10 hours. Doing something you enjoy makes it fun and you're more likely to finish it if you're doing something you like!4.) Make goals and pace yourself - Personal Progress is all about keeping track of and meeting goals. If you give yourself a certain time frame to finish something, do it! It's so much easier to stick to goals if you know what they are. 5.) Get it done as early as possible - Personal Progress is an amazing tool we have been given for our day. It really is an inspired program that can help you grow so much in the gospel. I couldn't believe how easy it really was to finish. I was home schooled for my 7th grade year, and that's when I began to work on it the most. It really does help to finish it over the summer or when you have time so it's less stressful to get it done before your 18th birthday. Finishing it before high school helped me a ton. And plus, getting to wear your medallion everyday makes it so worth it. Blessings I have received from earning my medallion:

Personal Progress was a HUGE eye opener to me.I honestly thought it was so dumb and boring, but when I started to feel aloneor feel like I wasn't good enough, I would turn to it.I literally tested it. I was feeling so sad one day and saw my book and literally thought to myself, "I wonder if this'll work.. well.. I guess i can try it" so I picked it up and worked on what I was struggling with. It was Individual Worth at the time. I was feeling so alone but when I picked up that book and started reading the scriptures, I felt this peace that was so indescribable.I cannot even tell you what I felt when I picked that book up for the first time. It was like all of my problems and all of my doubts had gone away. Personal Progress literally made me go from sad tears to happy tearsin a manner of about 10 minutes. I felt the Saviors love for me. And it was the first time in 3 years that I had felt that. If you are struggling in any way, Personal Progress can help so much.

If you feel your faith is faltering,

work on Faith.

If you feel you're not sure who you are or what you're meant to be,

work on Divine Nature.

If you're feeling inadequate and alone,

work on Individual Worth.

If you're confused, spiritually or mentally or in any other way, work on Knowledge.

If you're not sure which path to take,

work on Choice and Accountability.

If you're struggling with serving others,

work on Good Works!

If you're standing alone,

work on Integrity.

If you're ridiculed because of

your beliefs and values, work on Virtue.

These values are here for OUR day. We just have to turn to it. No one can help you if you don't put your arm up and reach out for help. It doesn't work. Personal Progress was my friend when no one else was. It pretty much saved my life and it can do the same for you. I know it can and will if you help you in your own life if you will make the effort.It may not come right away like it was for me, but I know it can help with anything and everything.

Alissa, I am so glad you worked so hard to get your medallion. And I love how you are so excited to help others reach their potential. You are inspiration to me and I am so glad you chose me to me your mom. I love you forever.